


My Only Hope

by Streetdiaper



Series: A Galaxy Far Far Away [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, M/M, no beta - we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22597162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Streetdiaper/pseuds/Streetdiaper
Summary: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from the hidden Castle of Lions, have won their first victory against the evil Galra Empire.During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Galra's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Prince Keith races home aboard his starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save his people and restore freedom to the galaxy.....
Relationships: Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Shiro & Voltron Paladins
Series: A Galaxy Far Far Away [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625983
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	My Only Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea if anyone will like this except for me, but I started working on this over a year ago and here we are now. 
> 
> Unbetad because I can accept no criticism right now. Teen rating only because of cursing.

_A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..._

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from the hidden Altean Castle Ship, have won their first victory against the evil Galra Empire.  
  
During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Galra's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.   
  
Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Prince Keith races home aboard his starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save his people and restore freedom to the galaxy.....

* * *

Keith knew everything had been going too smoothly the moment he said Rogue One had delivered them “hope”. The plans for the Galra Death Star had come at a high price with far too many lives sacrificed for it, but Keith wasn’t about to surrender now. The fact that Darth Mutter had captured his ship wasn’t going to stop him. As another blast rocked the ship, Keith quickly realized there was no way for him to hold the plans without the Galra troops immediately finding them. As he looked at the panicking crew scrambling to keep the Galra at bay he caught sight of Pidge and pulled her aside.

“Pidge, listen, no matter what happens, no matter what the Galra threaten, I need you to record this message and find someone for me.”

* * *

Pidge raced through the halls of the starship, dragging Coran behind her trying to find the escape pod Keith had described.

“We’re doomed! There’s no hope that the prince will be able to escape now!” Coran cried as Pidge maneuvered him to avoid the Galra troops that were quickly swarming the rebel ship. “And what are we doing down here?! You’re not permitted to be on this level! This will get us both reprimanded, you glob of grease!”

“Coran, would you shut your quiznak for one-,” Pidge skid to a halt with Coran quickly running into her back at full force. She had found the pod Keith had described. Every part of her was screaming not to leave Keith in a situation he couldn’t fight his way out of, but she knew better than to doubt his plans and began to shove Coran into the pod just as a blast hit far too close to them for comfort.

“I should have known better than to trust the logic of a half-sized engineer!”

* * *

Keith watched the escape pod carrying Pidge and Coran hurtled away as his ship filled with smoke and wreckage from the attack. Pidge had resisted Keith’s request at first, wanting to stay and fight by his side, but once Keith had told her how important the information they were carrying was to the Rebellion’s existence, Pidge realized why she needed to go. The only thing for Keith to do now was ensure the Galra were distracted long enough for his friends to survive and deliver his message.

Keith turned as he heard the heavy fall of footsteps approach him. He hadn’t expected the Galra forces to find him quite so quickly. He had hoped the alcove around the window he watched the escape pod from would shield him for at least a few more moments.

“Is that the Prince? Quick, stun him!”

Although Keith was quick with his blaster, the Galra outnumbered him and he only managed to fire one shot before he fell to the floor paralyzed. The last thing he heard was the Galra reporting that they had captured him as his vision faded into darkness.

* * *

A rare breeze blew through Tatooine, the only break in the merciless heat from the twin suns crossing the sky. As Shiro looked out across the shimmering desert, his eye was caught by something falling. It almost looked like a shuttle...

Shiro turned as he heard the little droid working on the moisture vaporator short its circuit for the third time that month. He sighed while he climbed back onto his landspeeder. Without the droid, his trip out to the vaporator was basically a waste of time and he’d already repaired the little guy as much as he was able to. If his buddy Matt hadn’t left to join the Rebels he’ could have helped, but without him, Shiro was in over his head when it came to droids and engineering. 

Shiro started heading back to his Uncle Owen’s house to let him know the droid was out again.

* * *

Keith awoke to find his hands bound as he was dragged along by the Galra troops. Looking around, he realized he was being led straight toward an imposing, dark figure. As the masked face looked down at him, Keith felt himself fill with rage. 

“Darth Mutter, I should have known. Only you could be so bold. The Senate will not stand for this! When they hear you’ve attacked a diplomatic vessel-”

“Don’t play games with me, Your Highness,” Darth Mutter cooly interrupted, “You passed directly through Galra occupied space just as several transmissions were sent out by Rebel spies. I want to know what has happened to those transmissions.” Darth Mutter stepped closer to Keith and tilted his chin up, forcing him to stare into the lifeless mask hiding her face. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission!” Keith could feel his voice rising. He knew anger wouldn’t help him now but also couldn’t control his temper as it bubbled within him. 

“I know you’re a member of the rebellion and a traitor! Take him away until he’s ready to talk.” Darth Mutter turned toward an Imperial Commander as Keith was lead away, fighting against the Galra captors as much as he could while bound. 

“Holding him is dangerous. What if word of his capture gets out and generates support for the Rebellion?” The Galra Commander said as he watched the prince being dragged from the room.

“He is apart of the Rebellion and I will not let this lead slip through my fingers”

“He’ll die before he tells you anything,” the commander replied hastily.

“Then he will perish,” Darth Mutter responded. The two turned as an Imperial Officer approached them.

“Darth Mutter, it seems the plans are no longer on the ship and there were no transmissions,” the officer said. 

“And how is that possible?”

“It seems... an escape pod was launched as we boarded. We suspect the plans were stowed on the pod.”

“I see. Find the pod at once and ensure the plans, and anyone inside of it, are destroyed.”

* * *

The surface of Tatooine was as desolate as Coran had always been told. Sand and rocks were the only things in sight. As he and Pidge hobbled away from where their pod had roughly landed, Coran took in the dunes that surrounded them. 

“How did I end up in this mess?! One minute I’m accompanying Prince Keith on a diplomatic mission as ordered by Princess Allura, the next... This! Clearly I was made to suffer!” Pidge huffed at Coran’s dramatics, assessing what could be salvaged from the pod.

“I know this isn’t what we had planned, but we need to keep going. Look at how rocky the land gets over to the East. I’ll bet there’s some sort of settlement nearby...” Pidge said, looking at what seemed to be the edge of a canyon in the distance. She barely remembered Tatooine, although she had lived there with her parents and brother before being sent to school off-planet.

“In the rocks?! What makes you think there are settlements there? Look at all this smooth sand. Clearly we should continue to head North. The route is much flatter and will be much more clear.” Pidge could feel her patience with the protocol specialist thinning. 

“Coran, I don’t care what’s easiest! I need to complete this mission Keith gave me. He’s counting on me and I won’t get off track just because that path looks easier!”

“Mission? What is this mission you keep mentioning?! Fine, if you want to go that way, go! You’ll be wishing you hadn’t gone that way in a matter of minutes!” Coran gave a half-hearted kick towards Pidge as she began to head East. “And don’t let me catch you following me begging for help, because you won’t get it!!”

Pidge grumbled as she trudged towards the rocks, tightening her grip on the small bag with the few belongings she’d grabbed in their rush to escape. 

* * *

Coran didn’t know how long he’d been walking or how many dunes he’d passed without seeing another soul. All he knew was that this was Pidge’s fault, some way, somehow. Coran was going to have to have a serious talk with Princess Allura the minute he got back to the Castle of Lions about the engineer’s manners, or lack thereof. 

Coran was pulled from his thoughts as he saw a speeder approaching him.

“Oh, finally, I’m saved!” Coran began to wave his arms above his head, “Over here! Help!” 

* * *

Pidge grumbled to herself the entire time she climbed down the steep canyon. Stupid Keith, shooting her onto this rock with no clear instructions beyond finding some guy and delivering a message. Stupid Coran, going off on his own. Stupid Matt and Dad, joining the Rebellion and sending Pidge away to “protect” her. And the cherry on top of the stupid sundae, the stupid canyon, which was steeper than Pidge had thought when she decided to climb down it. The air around her was eerily still and each one of her movements sent echoes throughout the area. 

Every time Pidge looked up, she could swear she saw shadowy figures staring at her, but as soon as she tried to focus on them, there was nothing. Pidge finally reached what looked like a slightly worn trail in the cliff’s edge. She started heading down it, working faster on the trail, before she saw what looked like several pairs of glowing eyes.

“What the-” Before she could finish her thought, a beam fell over her knocking her unconscious just as three Arusians ran out and began to drag her prone body deeper into the canyon.

Stupid canyon.

* * *

Of course, when Pidge came to Coran was somehow back to annoying her. 

“Oh, finally you’re awake! You wouldn’t believe how unfriendly the other captives are on this sandcrawler. And the Arusians! For a race so small, they certainly have no issue using brute force to capture their slaves.” Coran’s face hovered less than a foot away from Pidge as if he hadn’t told her to never speak to him when they were last together. 

“Slaves? Coran, what are you talking about? Where are we?!” Pidge looked around at the crowded inside of the ship, filled with droids and other travelers who had met the same fate in the desert. Before Coran could answer, a group of Arusians entered and began pushing their captives back out into the desert. The Arusians forced them to stand in a line as shoppers from the market milled around.

* * *

Shiro hated having to deal with Arusians. As soon as their droid had broken down again he knew his Uncle would take him to find a replacement. His Aunt and Uncle’s moisture farm didn’t bring in enough money to have regularly hired help, so when they ran into a problem they couldn’t fix themselves it led to them meeting the Arusians when their sandcrawlers came to town. No matter how many times Shiro had seen the slaves, he left feeling as if his skin was crawling while his Uncle Owen told him that was just how things worked on Tatooine. 

As Shiro walked out the door, his Aunt called him.

“Shiro, remind your uncle not to bring back more help that can’t speak Bocce!”

“I’ll try, but you know there’s never much choice in these bunches.” Heading outside, the heat beat down onto Shiro as he looked at the lineup. A few droids and a strange collection of aliens. Some had already begun bargaining while Owen continued to size up the odd bunch. As Shiro approached, his uncle seemed to be in conversation with... An Altean? What would an Altean be doing here?

“I have no use for a cultural specialist. What do you know about moisture vaporator binary?” Shiro’s uncle had an unimpressed look on his face, most likely to help with getting the best price from the Arusians. 

“Vaporater binary? Why I’ve been working with binary since I could reach the load lifter control panel! A vaporator should be no issue-”

“Do you speak Bocce?”

“Like a second language! I have even specialized in the different dialects-”

“Enough, you’ve made your case,” Uncle Owen turned towards the Arusians, “I’ll take this one. Shiro, take the Altean to his quarters and the droid to the garage to be cleaned up. I want them settled before dinner.”

“But I wanted to go to Toshi Station to pick up some power converters,” Shiro could hear himself whining, but he rarely had time to leave the farm anymore. 

“Not today, Shiro, you can waste time with your friends some other time.”

“Alright, you two follow me.” The Altean and a worn looking R2 unit began to follow him. Before the R2 had even moved a meter, it froze and began to spark. “Uh... Uncle Owen? Looks like this R2 unit has a bad motivator.”

“What exactly are you trying to pull here?” Shiro’s uncle turned toward the Arusians and jumped back into arguing. 

“Excuse me, but for what purpose were you purchasing that R2 unit?” The Altean had a gleam in his eye that Shiro didn’t know what to make of.

“Well, our current droid has been having circuity issues for months now so we need to replace him or repair him, and since I don’t have the know-how to do all the repairs we were going to replace him,” Shiro explained.

“If its repairs you need, one of the best engineers in this star system is right over there! The Arusians don’t know what a genius they’ve got, so she’s a real bargain!” the Altean seemed to have shifted into salesman mode and pointed out a small, ruffled looking girl standing awkwardly in the lineup. 

“I don’t know... We were supposed to get a droid.” Shiro knew his uncle preferred the droids for their low cost.

“Ah, but If you get her I guarantee you won’t have to buy a new droid for the rest of your lives! Pidge there could make a droid out of nothing but the hair on her head and-”

“Okay, okay you sold me! What’s your name?”

“Coran, sir! Coran, Coran the-”

“Okay Coran,” Shiro interrupted with a chuckle, “Let me talk to my Uncle about your friend over there.” 

After some bargaining, Shiro was walking back to his house with the Altean and the engineer following him. 

* * *

“Who would ever have known that a shower could feel so good?! Thank the heavens! I’d never felt so dirty in my life!” Coran burst into the lounge of the house where Shiro was carefully cleaning some scrapes on Pidge’s hand. Pidge snorted at the man’s dramatics, but winced at the sting of disinfectant Shiro was applying. 

“Sorry, I know this hurts, but it’s better to take care of it now,” Shiro said as he grabbed some bandages. 

“Nah, it’s okay. What good would an engineer be without hands?” Pidge glanced around the lounge. She was so disoriented after everything that had happened. It felt like such a blur since she had left Keith...

Keith! In the craziness of landing on Tatooine Pidge had forgotten Keith’s message. She suddenly pulled away from Shiro and began to search her bag trying to find where the small communicator with the prerecorded message was. 

“Woah, are you okay?” Shiro watched, half confused and half-amused by Pidge’s frantic searching. 

“The message! I need the message or this whole mission and enslavement has been for nothing!”

“What’s she talking about?” Shiro looked at Coran hoping he knew what the “mission” was. 

“Beats me!” Coran answered, still too cheery. “She’s been going on about some mission since she forced me into an escape pod on the Rebellion starship we had been traveling on.”

“Starship? You guys were on a Rebel ship before this?” Shiro was becoming more and more confused. It made sense for the Altean to not be from around here, but Pidge looked so familiar... 

Pidge pulled out a small communicator and breathed a sigh of relief. While she checked the device over, the holographic message suddenly came to life in the lounge. 

“Help me, General Thace. You’re my only hope,” The image of a young man with dark, shoulder-length hair repeated the message over and over. He wore a clean white outfit; a crisp, tight suit with a long hooded cape, nothing like what the workers on Tatooine wore. As the projection turned its head, his face was revealed from under the hood. Shiro took in the man’s dark eyes, brows furrowed with worry, and strong jaw.

“What is this?” Shiro was mesmerized by the projection... Pidge hurried to power down the communicator while Coran glared at her.

“Yes, Pidge, what is that?”

“Oh uh, that? It’s nothing, an old message Keith had sent me,” Pidge answered, hoping if she avoided eye contact for long enough Shiro and Coran might forget about the projection that continued to play. Where the hell was the off button on this thing?!

“Who is he? He’s beautiful,” Shiro muttered as if he didn’t even realize the words were leaving his mouth.

“That’s Prince Keith of Alderaan, we were accompanying him on a diplomatic mission when our starship was boarded by Galra, which is what led to this whole fiasco!” 

“Is there more to this recording?” Shiro asked, turning to Pidge and begins reaching for the communicator.

“Hey! This message is meant for Thace of Marmora. You weren’t even supposed to see this much,” Pidge said as she finally managed to turn the communicator off. 

“Thace of Marmora? I don’t know about Marmora, but there’s an old man Thace who lives out beyond the sand dunes. He mostly stays away from town due to being a Galra defector,” Shiro said. “It sounded like he was in trouble though...”

“Shiro?” His aunt’s voice called to him from the next room, “leave them be and come get some dinner.”

“Alright, I’m coming,” Shiro looked back at Pidge and Coran again, “I’ll bring you some food once you’re settled. I shouldn’t be gone for long.”

“Yes, Sir!” Coran spun to face Pidge, “Show him the rest of that message!”

“What?! No way! Keith trusted me to deliver that message and said the rebellion depended on it! I’m not showing Shiro just because he thinks Keith is cute or something,” Pidge crossed her arms and turned away from Coran.

“Fine! Don’t blame me when I’m Shiro’s favorite and he doesn’t give you the time of day,” Coran said. 

“Sure Coran, you can be his favorite slave,” Pidge snorted as she pulled the communicator back out and continued to check it over. 

* * *

Shiro picked at his food while his Aunt Beru poured him a glass of bantha milk. 

“I think those workers might have been sent to Tatooine by someone on purpose,” Shiro mentioned to his uncle, who grunted in response. “The engineer had a message she was supposed to take to some guy named Thace of Marmora. I don’t know about Marmora, but do you think she meant Old Thace out past the dunes?”

“Clearly she’s been out in the heat for too long. Get rid of that message and tell her to forget about it,” His Uncle Owen responded, refusing to meet Shiro’s eye.

“What if Thace comes looking for her?”

“He won’t, I don’t think he even exists anymore. He disappeared the same time your mother did.”

“He knew my mother?” How could a prince from the Rebellion be looking for someone his mother had known and what were the odds that person would be on Tatooine?

“It doesn’t matter anymore, just forget it. What you should be worried about is getting those workers ready for tomorrow. I want them out in the field first thing in the morning,” Owen turned back to his food while his aunt looked between the two uneasily. 

“Sure. I think those new workers will really help. They seem to know their stuff. In fact, with them here, I was thinking maybe I could apply for the Garrison this year.”

“The Garrison? They start at the same time as the harvest, Shiro, you know that’s when I need you most. If we have a good season we can talk about you applying next year, but until then we need you here.” 

Shiro pushes around his food. He didn’t want to wait another year to get off this planet, no matter how much his Aunt and Uncle needed him. 

“Fine,” he sighed, pushing his plate away, “I’ll go make sure Pidge and Coran are settled.” Knowing the conversation was only going the same direction it always did, he left the table to go back to the lounge. 

“You know you can’t keep him on the farm forever. More and more of his friends are leaving, and you know how much he misses Matt,” Beru said once she knew Shiro was out of earshot. 

“I know, I promise I’ll make it up to him. Just not this year, not yet,” Owen responded.

“He’s not a farmer, he’s just too much like his mother.”

“I know, that’s what I’m afraid of.”

* * *

When Shiro entered the lounge, Pidge and Coran were both gone. Shit. Shiro quickly started looking around, hoping maybe they had head back to their quarters. Both rooms were empty. Shiro ran outside and looked around in the dimming light as the twin suns began to set. Coran was standing by one of the parked speeders, the other of which was missing. 

“What are you doing out here? Where’s Pidge?” Shiro asked Coran as he jogged up to him. Coran jumped at the question, clearly not expecting Shiro. 

“Ah, Shiro! I’m sorry, I told her not to go, but she wouldn’t listen! She kept going on and on about her mission!”

“Shit,” Shiro looked out at the horizon. If Pidge had a speeder who knew how far she might have gotten. And it was already so dark out. “Get on Coran, we’re going after her.”

“What?! But I’m not suited to ride this kind of- oh dear,” Coran said as Shiro already pulled him onto the speeder and shot into the night after Pidge. 

* * *

Shiro had driven through the sand dunes deep into the night and reached the canyon where Old Thace was rumored to live by morning. 

“She should be around here, but with the head start she had the only way we can catch her is if she stopped along the way to figure out where to go,” Shiro said as he checked the scanner mounted on the speeder. “Hey, I think this might be her up ahead.”

Coran leaned over Shiro’s shoulder to peak at the scanner. He hadn’t been kidding about not being suited to the speeder and had clung to Shiro the entire ride. 

“That seems to be the appropriate size!” Coran immediately clamped his eyes shut again, “Does this mean we’ll be stopping soon?”

They turned a corner and there was Pidge, standing next to the speeder examining her own scanner. 

“There you are! How dare you run away from Shiro, and more importantly how dare you leave me!” Coran exclaimed as soon as their speeder was in Pidge’s range. 

“Coran? Shiro? We need to get out of here!” Pidge exclaimed while looking over her shoulder.

“Yeah, Pidge we do. We need to get back to the farm. I know this mission is important to you, but my uncle needs you guys,” Shiro sighed. They had already been gone for so long. Owen surely must have realized they were missing by now and would be angry. 

“No, guys, I know but we need to leave-” Pidges eyes focused on something behind Shiro and she froze. 

Before Shiro could turn to see what Pidge was looking at, something bashed his head and he quickly lost consciousness.

* * *

Shiro hit the ground hard, but before Pidge or Coran could go to his aid they were surrounded by a group of masked people aiming laser rifles at them. Suddenly, a long howl filled the canyon. The sand people seemed to decide that the three weren’t worth the risk of facing whatever had released that howl. They quickly began to scramble up the sides of the canyon and the howl continued to echo off the cliffs surrounding them. 

Coran ran to check on Shiro, who was sitting up and rubbing his head where it’d been hit. Pidge looked around to find the source of the noise and noticed a robed man walking down the cliffside. 

“Uh, guys?” Pidge asked nervously, “ I don’t think we’re in the clear yet...”

The robed figure stopped as he came closer and Pidge gasped as a pair of yellow eyes peered at her. He slowly approached Shiro.

“Don’t worry, little one,” The Galra said as he ran a hand over Shiro’s forehead, “He will be alright.”

Shiro cracked his eyes open and stared at the figure over him.

“What happened? Are you... Thace?”

“Careful now, that was quite a hit to your head,” Thace said as he helped Shiro up, “This is a dangerous area that should not be traveled lightly. What brings you three out here?”

“That would be me,” Pidge said, “I didn’t mean to drag Shiro into this, but I needed to find you! You’re Thace of Marmora, Right?”

Thace stared at Pidge as he seemed to think her question over. 

“I haven’t been addressed in such a way in many years.”

“Wait, you’re Thace of Marmora? But my uncle said you were dead,” Shiro said as he looked between Pidge and Thace. 

“Not yet, anyway. We should leave this area. The sand people are easily scared, but they’ll be back soon enough.” 

* * *

Thace led them to a small shack built into the edge of the canyon. Every surface seemed to be covered with one piece of junk or another, yet Shiro felt a rush of calm as he sat down on one of the few empty seats. Thace rummaged around in the kitchen and returned with a cold compress for Shiro’s head.

“My mother never fought in the war, my uncle told me she was a cargo pilot,” Shiro said pressing the compress to his head. This was so confusing and the pounding in his head wasn’t helping him process the information Thace revealed about his mother. 

“Your uncle was always upset with the path your mother chose. He thought he could protect you by not sharing the truth about her with you,” Thace explained. Looking at Shiro, there was no trace of his mother in his looks. Even as a child Shiro had always taken after Tex and the similarities had only grown over the years. 

“So you fought in the Galra Wars?”

“Yes, I was in the Blade of Marmora the same as your mother.”

“I wish I could remember her,” Shiro said, thinking of his last memory of his father. Shiro had cried as he was pulled away from his dad, but whenever Shiro tried to picture his mother he was met with emptiness.

“Your mother was like no one else in the galaxy; a star pilot, the fiercest warrior. From what I hear, you’re not so bad at flying yourself. Your mother was a good friend. Which reminds me...” Thace stood and rummaged through a trunk nearby.

Pidge shifted in the corner. This conversation was so personal. She just wanted to play Keith’s message. She looked at Coran and could tell he also seemed lost trying to follow along. She stopped feeling bad about eavesdropping when Thace turned back around holding a short, metal cylinder in his hand. It appeared to be a type of handle with a large switch on it and several other components. 

“Your mother would have wanted you to have this. You’re more than old enough to wield it,” Thace said as he extended the item to Shiro. 

“What is it?” Shiro felt the weight of the handle in his hand. He turned it over examining the button on it.

“Your mother’s lightsaber. The weapon of the Blade of Marmora. Much more dependable than a blaster.” 

Shiro pressed the button on the handle, triggering a beam of light to emit from the base. The light illuminated the entire room as a soft hum filled the air.

“Holy shit... I’m going to need to look at that. Like, look at it a lot,” Pidge muttered, mesmerized by the beam. Thace and Coran both gave her unamused looks. “What? A sword made of light and I’m supposed to NOT want to take it apart?”

“How did my mother die?” Shiro asked, still focusing on the way the light moved as he turned the lightsaber in his hand. 

“She was killed by Darth Mutter, another member of the Blade. When Zarkon began his campaign to take over the universe, he lured Darth Mutter to his side with promises of power. Under Zarkon, Darth Mutter betrayed the Blade and killed your mother. Now the Blade of Marmora is all but extinct. All because Darth Mutter was pulled to the dark side of the force.”

“The force?”

“Listen, not that Shiro’s family history isn’t interesting, but I have something I really need to give you,” Pidge interjected as she pulled the communicator from her pocket. 

“Ah, yes the message. Let’s see what you’ve brought me,” Thace said taking the communicator from Pidge as Shiro pressed the button retracting the beam back into the lightsaber’s handle. The projection of Keith filled the room. 

“General Thace, years ago you helped my father in the Galra War. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I could not come make my plea to you in person, but my ship has been boarded by Galra. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion with my engineer, Pidge. My father will know what to do with the information. You must see the information safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, General Thace, you’re my only hope.”

The projection looked over his shoulder before leaning over as if to push a button, then flickered and disappeared. Thace leaned back, thinking over the content of the message. Shiro stared at where the projection had been. He couldn’t tell if it was his head injury, the new information about his mother, or seeing the image of the attractive prince again that had left him speechless.

“You must learn the ways of the force if you’re to come with me to Alderaan,” Thace said to Shiro.

“Alderaan? I can’t go to Alderaan, I’ve got to get back to my uncle. I’ve already been gone for too long,” Shiro said as he began to pace around the cramped room.

“I need your help, Shiro. Keith needs your help, as do the two who risked their lives to bring me this message,” Thace gestured to Pidge and Coran. “This is beyond your uncle, beyond you.”

“I’m sorry, but we need to get back. I don’t know how I’ll ever explain where I’ve been.”

“Come with me, Shiro. Learn the ways of the force.”

“Look, I’ll take you to Anchorhead and you can catch a transport from there, but I need to get back,” Shiro said as he walked back to the waiting speeder.

* * *

Shiro knew something was wrong as he saw the dead Arusians while approaching town. For sand people to attack so close to the farm... Shiro and Thace slowed the speeders down as they approached the smoldering wreckage. 

“Sand people have come close before, but I’ve never seen them this near town,” Shiro told Thace as he also slowed his speeder. They walked closer to the bodies as Pidge and Coran stayed back.

“No, not sand people. Look at the wounds. Sand people don’t have that precision and all their possessions have been left. This is the work of Galra troops.”

“Why would the Galra be bothering Arusians?” Shiro tried to ignore the pit in his stomach as he looked over at Pidge and Coran, who had dismounted from the speeders and were glancing at the wreckage. “The plans... They must have followed their escape pod. And if they got to the Arusians, they must have found out who they were sold to.”

Shiro raced back to the speeder yelling for the others to follow. He ignored the calls telling him to wait, that it was too dangerous. He pushed his speeder as fast as it would go, the engine straining. He slowed as he saw smoke pouring from the door of the homestead and hopped off the speeder.

“Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!” Shiro called as he began running through the wreckage. Inside the home, he saw two bodies laying on the floor. Shiro could feel his breath leave him. There was barely enough remains to identify them, but Shiro knew it was his Aunt and Uncle on the floor. He could feel his grief hardening, filling him with fury. 

* * *

Keith looked up as two Galra entered his cell. He lifted an eyebrow, waiting for the inevitable arrival of Darth Mutter. In the time he’d been captured, Darth Mutter had continuously interrogated Keith in an effort to find the location of the Death Star plans. She had threatened him, questioned him for hours, and withheld food but Keith had kept his mouth shut. He would not reveal the location of the Castle Ship and he would not sell out Pidge, no matter what Darth Mutter did to him. She finally entered, her eyes burning into Keith’s through her mask.

“I hope you’re feeling more talkative today, Your Highness,” She said with the filtered monotone in which she always spoke. 

“Do your worst.”

* * *

Thace, Coran, and Pidge arrived at the farm and saw Shiro kneeling in the sand, almost as though he was bent over in pain. As they approached, he stood and turned toward them.

“You know there’s nothing you could have done, Shiro. Had you remained here, you would have fallen as well and Pidge’s mission would be unfulfilled,” Thace said.

“I’m coming with you to Alderaan. I have to. I will learn the ways of the force and join the Blade of Marmora like my mother,” Shiro had a look of determination behind the tear stains running down his cheeks. 

“Then we had better find a pilot,” Thace said, returning to the speeder.

* * *

“Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious,” Thace said as their speeder approached the bustling port. Shiro had a look of determination. Behind him, Pidge and Coran shared a nervous look. They could already spot Galra troops from this distance and not all outlaws appreciated how the Rebellion was impacting their trade with the Empire. 

As soon as they approached one of the entrances to the port, a Galra officer stopped them. 

“Halt. How long have you four been traveling together?”

“Us? I don’t know, it’s been such a long time,” Shiro stuttered over the lie, knowing he wasn’t being persuasive. 

“I’ll need to see all of your identification papers,” Pidge felt her stomach drop. She didn’t have papers, and Coran being Altean already put a target on his back.

“You don’t need to see our identification,” Thace said to the guard. Suddenly, the guard seemed less focused.

“I don’t need to see your papers,” He repeated in a flat tone. 

“These are not the Rebels you’re looking for.”

“These are not the Rebels I’m looking for.”

“We may go about our business.”

“You may go about your business.” 

Shiro, Pidge, and Coran sat frozen, not able to believe that they were really being waived through the blockade. Thace cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Shiro to move the speeder along. 

Shiro followed Thace’s directions to a dusty looking cantina nestled between two leaning buildings. The bar was unassuming in the way that suggested it didn’t want anyone looking for too long.

“I can’t believe you got us past that guy,” Pidge said from the back seat. “You have to tell me what you used. You didn’t even touch him! Was it some sort of device that emitted a signal to scramble his thoughts?”

“Obviously not, Pidge! If it had been we would have also been affected by this device. Clearly Master Thace has been infiltrating the Galra for long enough to learn a coded language and plant spies. Now, what was the code word, that’s the real question,” Coran responded, rubbing his chin as he contemplated potential Galra code words.

“Quiet down you two,” Thace grumbled from the front of the speeder, “You’re both wrong. I was able to influence his mind by using the force. Those who are weak-minded can be easily pushed to believe the thoughts you plant. It is another way in which the force is a powerful ally.”

“Well, no matter how it happened will your smooth-talking really be enough to get us a pilot to Alderaan?” Shiro asked. He knew the kinds of people who lived on Tatooine. Most of the adventurous citizens had already left to join the Rebellion. It seemed to Shiro that the majority of the planet had either sided with the Empire or wasn’t bothered enough to even try to change anything. 

“Many great freighter pilots can be found here. I am sure we will find someone who will be willing to make the journey. Watch your step now, all of you. This place is not what I would call friendly.”

As they entered the bar, a cloud of music, chatter, and a cloying smell seemed to surround them. The tables were packed with aliens of all different races. They had barely stepped inside before the bartender spotted them. 

“Hey, no Alteans in here! We don’t need nobody poking their nose around in here, reporting ‘bout what we’re doing,” The bartender was huge, reaching even above Shiro’s and Thace’s height. 

“Excuse me?! This is preposterous! This-this is discrimination is what it is!” Coran stuttered, his cheeks burned red at the attention from being singled out. Of course he had reported illegal findings to the Princess during his time in her service, but it was what was expected of a man in his position! And he felt proud knowing other Alteans had done the same. 

“We will have him wait outside,” Thace said to the bartender as Coran huffed. “I should have known this might happen. Not all people are fans of Princess Allura and her respect for the old laws out here.”

“Pidge, you should go with Coran,” Shiro added. The cantina was already packed and the attention their party had received wasn’t making Shiro feel any better. 

“What, no way! Just because this bartender hates Alteans I have to wait outside?” Pidge crossed her arms. It wasn’t even that she wanted to be in the grimy bar, but it was her mission to get Thace to Alderaan. Not to mention she wasn’t particularly in the mood to hear the rant she knew Coran was already preparing to launch as soon as they stepped outside. 

“Pidge, I know you want to help find a pilot and I know this mission is important, but we don’t want to cause more trouble than we already have. Plus, someone needs to keep Coran from running his mouth around the wrong person,” Shiro grinned, seeing that Pidge was starting to agree with him. 

“Fine, we’ll wait at the speeder. But this isn’t for you or Coran! It just stinks in here,” Pidge added as she grabbed Coran and led him out of the bar.

Shiro and Thace made their way to the bar. Being taller than many of the other alien species had its benefits in a place like this and most of the customers let them pass with no trouble. A small, rodent-like alien accompanied by a human and multi-eyed creature had been looking at Shiro, but one glance from Thace had them turning back to their table. 

“We will order some drinks. It will make us look less... noticeable,” Thace said doubtfully as he examined a menu written in a language Shiro couldn’t recognize. 

“I doubt that’ll help much, but sure,” Shiro responded. Thace ordered two of something and they began to scan the many patrons of the bar. As they looked a tall human with dark skin and hair held back by a bandana approached the bar next to them.

“You two must be new around here. Everyone knows having an Altean with you gets you nothing but trouble,” the man said as he took a seat next to Shiro. 

“I guess we really do stick out,” Shiro responded with a chuckle, tentative of the stranger but hoping to find a lead.

“The name’s Hunk. What brings you guys here?” Hunk questioned, glancing between Shiro and Thace. 

“My name’s Shiro, this is Thace. And to be completely honest, I’m trying to find a ride to Alderaan,” Shiro wasn’t sure how much information he should be sharing, but Thace hadn’t told him what not to mention, plus the whole point of being here was to find a pilot.

“Alderaan?” Hunk let out a whistle, “That’s going to be tricky. Galra troops crawling all over that system recently. Even the people who have gotten cozy with the Galra are cautious around those parts.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s really important that I get there. Plus my group is willing to pay,” Shiro could tell he was asking a lot from the troubled look on Hunk’s face, but he really felt like this was a good lead. 

“Alright listen, my buddy might do it for you. He loves a challenge and I’m pretty sure he needs the money, but I’m just the first-mate and mechanic on his ship. I can’t guarantee anything until you talk to him,” Hunk replied. Shiro nodded and looked over at Thace. 

“I guess we’d better have a chat with him then,” Thace said.

* * *

“Lance Solo,” the pilot said as he kicked his feet on the table, winking one of his dark blue eyes at Shiro and tucking his hands behind his head, “I’m the captain of the Millennium Falcon. Hunk here tells me you’re trying to get to the Alderaan system?”

“Yeah, if it really is as fast a ship as he says,” Shiro said as he looked the pilot over. Shiro couldn’t see anything about his appearance that would warrant such a cocky attitude. He wore a tan shirt that looked like it started off white with a tattered vest over it. His boots were scuffed, beyond being well-loved, more like not able to be replaced.

“A fast ship? What, you’ve never heard of the Millennium Falcon?” Lance pulled his legs from the table and sat forward, a look of disbelief on his face.

“Should I have?” Shiro asked. 

“It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs!” Lance exclaimed. Thace huffed at Lance’s bragging, unimpressed by his arrogance. “Listen, I’ve outrun Galra starships in this ship, not just the local cruisers. She’s fast enough to outrun anything you can throw at her. What exactly is the cargo?”

“Just passengers. Shiro, myself, and two others waiting outside,” Thace answered.

“What’s going on here, trouble with locals? Tired of sand, sand, and more sand?” Lance answered with a bored tone as he examined his fingernails. Hunk gave him an annoyed look and a shove, ruining Lance’s act of nonchalance.

“Let’s just say we’re trying to avoid conflict with the Galra,” Thace said. 

“Well, that’s the trick isn’t it?” Lance raised an eyebrow at his question, “And it’s going to cost you a little extra. We need ten thousand upfront.” 

“Lance...” Hunk groaned, “At that price they might as well buy their own ship.”

“And? They need us to fly it. Who else would do it?”

“Hey, I’m not such a bad pilot myself. If you don’t want to do it just say so and we’ll be on our way,” Shiro butted in. 

“We don’t have ten thousand,” Thace said, cutting through the squabbling, “we have two thousand now, and we can give you fifteen more once we reach Alderaan.”

“Seventeen thousand... huh,” Lance rubbed his chin as he thought their proposition over, then stuck his hand out. “You got yourself a ship. Meet us at Docking Bay 94 as soon as you’re ready to go.”

Thace shook Lance’s hand as Hunk looked toward the bar. 

“Uh, guys? I think you might have some unwanted attention,” Hunk nodded at the Galra soldiers who had entered the bar and were starting to look toward their table. Before Lance and Hunk could say another word, Shiro and Thace had disappeared.

“Huh... Those two sure are weird. But seventeen thousand, this could really save our skin!” Lance said as he finished off his drink.

“ _Our_ skin? I think you mean your skin, Lance. After all, I wasn’t the one who trusted Nyma’s shifty friends,” Hunk said as he scanned the bar again. Shiro and Thace really had ducked out quickly. 

“Yeah, yeah whatever big guy, let’s get back to the ship and get her ready,” Lance made to stand up, but before he could someone took a seat at their table. “Rolo? What are you do- I mean... Rolo! Just as I expected...”

“Planning on going somewhere, Solo?” The lanky purple alien asked as he downed what was left of Shiro’s abandoned drink and sat across from the pilot. 

“As a matter of fact, I’m about to go see your boss. Tell Prorok I’ve got his money,” Lance leaned back with false bravado as Rolo lazily pointed a blaster at him. 

“It’s too late now, Lance. You should have paid him back when you had the chance. Now there’s a price on your head so big, every bounty hunter in the galaxy is trying to sniff you out. You’re lucky I got to you first,” Rolo explained in his drawl as if the prospect of killing Lance wasn’t _that_ exciting. 

“Right, sure, we’re so thankful for you,” Hunk muttered, while Lance and Rolo continued their staredown. 

“Listen, I got the money. Just tell Prorok-”

“Prorok is done with you. Says he has no time for someone who turns tail at the slightest pressure from the Empire,” Rolo interrupted. 

“Even I get boarded sometimes. Just because Prorok wants special products for his fleets doesn’t mean I can ignore all the other imperial troops around,” Lance said as he slowly began to reach for his blaster under the table.

“Well then, I’ll let you explain that to Prorok,” Rolo said as his finger twitched on the trigger of his blaster, “maybe he’ll only take your ship.”

“Over my dead body,” Lance gritted out, firing a shot under the table to take Rolo out, right as Rolo’s own shot grazed his left ear. Lance had never liked the bounty hunter much anyways. He threw a few credits on the table as Hunk dragged him from the bar muttering about drawing attention to themselves. 

* * *

Hunk paced near the entrance to the docking bay. Shiro and his group were supposed to be here any minute and the longer they took, the more time bounty hunters had to trace him and Lance here. So much for keeping a low profile. Finally, Shiro, Thace, and two more people approached Hunk.

“There you guys are! We’re basically all ready to go. Not that we’re in a rush! Certainly not running from anyone, haha!” Hunk’s nervous laughter trailed off. “These must be the other two passengers! I’m Hunk, but I’m sure we’ll have more time for introductions on the ship. Follow me!”

The others followed Hunk into the docking bay and the ship came into view. 

“This thing... is a piece of junk,” Shiro said, eyeing the starship warily. 

“Hey! Don’t talk about my baby like that!” Lance said as he came down the boarding ramp. “I know she doesn’t look like much, but she always gets me where I need to go. Besides, Hunk’s been able to add some pretty special modifications.”

“Modifications?” Pidge said, peeking out from behind Shiro. 

“Sure, Sure, bypassing this system, rerouting another, I’ll tell you all about it once we’re on our way out of here,” Hunk said as he hurried the group on board. 

“Sorry about him, he just hates tardiness. Let’s hurry up and get a move on,” Lance said as the group boarded. 

Lance and Hunk rushed to the pilot seats and closed the loading ramp just as a Galra troop entered the docking bay. 

“Shit, shit, shit. Hunk, we got company!” Lance yelled as he hurried to get the ship off the ground. “Get us out of here!”

“Okay, okay! You better strap in back there,” Hunk called over his shoulder as Shiro shepherded Pidge away from the circuits and into a seat. 

“Oh quizack, another rough trip. I’ll be all too glad if the Princess says I’m never leaving her side again when we get back!” Coran said as he pulled the straps on his seat as tight as they’d go.

The ship rocked as the Galra opened fire at it, trying to keep it grounded. The ship quickly sped out of the docking bay but was greeted by a Galra cruiser. 

“Looks like you guys are a little more high profile than you were letting on, huh?” Lance said as he began to pull up the ship’s shields. “Hunk, get us into light speed, like, yesterday. I’ll focus on the shields and avoiding our new friends.”

The ship began to evade the Galra forces, but not before two smaller ships began to trail them. Shiro watched over their shoulders as the ship’s alarms blared above him. 

“Why can’t we outrun them, didn’t you say this was the fastest ship in the universe?” Shiro asked.

“Watch your mouth, farm boy. We’ll be safe enough once Hunk jumps us to hyperspace. Besides, I’ve got a few moves up my sleeve,” Lance snapped as he suddenly pulled the ship into a spin while blasts flew by, but a few still hit their mark and the shield around the ship shuddered before disappearing.

“And there goes the deflector shield. Hunk, please tell me you’re ready to make the jump,” Lance gritted out.

“Ready in three, two, one,” Hunk said as he pushed a thruster as far as it would go. Suddenly, the stars in front of them seemed to bend and they all snapped back into their seats. 

* * *

Keith had been removed from his chambers and was immediately on edge. All of his interrogations had occurred in the small cell he had occupied on the battle station. As the Galra led him through the halls, he could feel the tension in the air. He was led into a large room, a sort of observation deck, that was already occupied by several high ranking Galra officers, including Commander Sendak. Through a large window, he could see his home planet, Alderaan. He tried to move toward the window but before he could take a step, Darth Mutter was behind him, grabbing Keith’s arms so he couldn’t move. 

“Commander Sendak, I should have expected to find you holding Mutter’s leash. I recognized your foul stench as soon as I was transferred onto this ship,” Keith snarled, fighting against Mutter’s hold as Sendak looked on in amusement. 

“Prince Keith, you are as charming as I remembered. You have no idea how much joy I found in signing the order to terminate your life,” Sendak replied with a snarl. The young prince had always irritated Sendak; his lack of obedience and brash manner of speaking was against everything the Galra had been taught. 

“I’m surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility upon yourself,” Keith responded, still struggling against the tight hold on his bound arms. 

“Prince Keith, before you meet your end, I wish for you to be my guest at this ceremony that will make this battle station operational. With this show of force, no star system will dare question the strength of the Galra and Emperor Zarkon,” Sendak said as he turned toward the window showing Alderaan.

“The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems slip through your fingers,” Keith said. 

“Not after they see the power of this battle station. In a way, you have helped in the selection of the first planet to be destroyed. Since you refuse to surrender the location of the Castle of Lions, I have chosen to test our new destructive power on your home planet, Alderaan.”

“No!” Keith again tried to pull forward, “Alderaan is peaceful! We have no weapons, no forces, you can’t...”

“Then you would pick another target? Another system? Just name it!” Sendak rushed toward Keith. “I grow tired of this questioning. This is your last opportunity. Where is the Castle of Lions?”

“Dantooine,” Keith muttered softly, sagging as the fight left his body, “They’re on Dantooine...”

“See Darth Mutter, I told you the Prince could be reasonable,” Sendak said, turning again toward the window, “Fire when ready.”

“What? No! I told you-” Keith protested while he was filled with dread.

“Dantooine is much too far away to be an effective demonstration, but don’t worry. We’ll be there soon enough,” Sendak said, watching as a red beam began to fire upon the planet.

“NO!” Keith said in horror as the beam made contact with the planet. In less than a blink, his home planet was destroyed. He felt as though his heart had been cut out. As if he was numb. Keith slumped to the floor while the only remnants of his home planet scattered through space.

* * *

Shiro stood in the central area of the Millennium Falcon, avoiding shots from a small “seeker” that would randomly fire beams at him. Pidge was complaining about how she knew she could make it better if she could just get her hand on it for a second when suddenly Thace had a look upon his face as though he was listening to a distant sound. 

“Thace, are you alright? What’s wrong?” Shiro asked while turning away from the seeker.

“I felt a great disturbance in the force... As though millions of voices all cried out at once and then were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible must have happened,” Thace said as he furrowed his brow, trying to place the source of the suffering he had felt. He then looked around the room, as though he just remembered where he was. “You should continue with your exercises, Shiro.”

“Well, no need to worry about those Galra chasing our tails anymore!” Lance said as he burst into the room. Pidge and Coran ignored Lance as Hunk explained the rules of dejarik to them and Shiro was once again focused on the lightsaber in his hands. “... Aren’t any of you going to thank me?!”

“Is he always this loud?” Pidge asked Hunk, continuing to focus on the game in front of them while Coran whispered unhelpful “assistance” into her ear.

“Yeah, but you learn to block him out,” Hunk responded as he directed one of his pieces to move across the board. 

“Hey! I only came in here to tell you we should be coming up on Alderaan pretty soon,” Lance said as he huffed and leaned against the wall of his ship. 

Shiro continued to move the lightsaber, following the seeker with his eyes. Lance watched with amusement, waiting for Shiro to get shot by one of the beams the chrome ball occasionally shot out. 

“Remember, you should feel the Force flowing through you,” Thace said.

“What, like it can control me?” Shiro kept his eyes on the bot as it slowly circled above his head. 

“In a way, but you can also master it and have the force obey your commands,” Thace responded. Lance let out a snort.

“That sounds like a real nutty religion you’re following, my guy. You’re trying to tell me that light-stick can hold up against a blaster?” 

“I’m guessing you don’t believe in the force, Lance?” Shiro asked.

“Listen, I’ve flown from one side of this galaxy to the other and I’ve seen some weird stuff, but I haven’t seen anything to make me believe there’s some sort of all-powerful energy that controls us all. There’s no “magical force” controlling my destiny, it’s all just a bunch of cheap tricks,” Lance said. 

“I suggest you continue to practice, Shiro,” Thace said after shooting a glare at Lance, he then placed a helmet on Shiro’s head that blocked his sight, “This time, let go of your consciousness. Follow your instincts.”

“But with the blast shield down, how am I supposed to see?” Shiro asked.

“Your eyes can deceive you. Reach out with the force.” Shiro stilled and took a deep breath. After a moment, the seeker took another shot at Shiro, but this time he quickly deflected it with the lightsaber.

“Oh please, he just got lucky,” Lance said, rolling his eyes as Shiro pushed up his helmet and shared a look with Thace.

* * *

While Darth Mutter and Sendak reviewed communications coming in from other Galra fleets, an officer approached them. 

“Our scouts have just reported back from Dantooine. They found evidence that the Castle of Lions may have once been there, but the planet has been deserted for a long time. The Castle has not been located, even in Dantooine’s surrounding systems,” the officer reported.

“He... deceived me? Even in the face of his home planet being demolished, he lied to us?!” Sendak yelled.

“I told you he would not betray the Rebellion,” Darth Mutter said cooly as Sendak became more enraged.

“He is to be terminated immediately!”

* * *

Hunk came back from the cockpit where he’d been making sure the ship was on course, while the others continued to lounge in the common area. 

“Looks like we’re coming up on Alderaan now, guys,” He said while slapping Lance on the shoulder. They went to the piloting seats as they eased the ship out of hyperdrive. As the blur of stars faded, they found themselves surrounded by asteroids.

“What the- These asteroids weren’t on any of the charts. Must have been some sort of collision recently,” Lance said as they began to navigate through the debris. 

“What’s going on?” said Shiro as he entered the cockpit.

“Well, the coordinates are correct, but there’s no Alderaan,” Lance said, gesturing through the window at the space ahead of them, only occupied by rocks and distant planets. 

“What do you mean? Where is it?” Shiro asked as his eyebrows drew together. 

“I don’t know what to tell you, man. This is where Alderaan is supposed to be, but there’s nothing. It ain’t there,” Lance said while Hunk cross-referenced their location with their charts. 

“What? How does a whole planet disappear?” 

“The Empire,” Thace said as he entered the cockpit as well. “I know their work when I see it.”

“But not even the Empire has the power to destroy a planet,” Hunk said, “It takes thousands of ships and more firepower than you’d believe.”

“There’s another ship... An imperial fighter,” Lance said, “It must have followed us!”

“No look, it’s a short-range fighter,” Hunk said as he examined the ship.

“Where could it be coming from?” Shiro wondered, glancing around as though the base would suddenly reveal itself. 

“Beats me, there aren’t supposed to be any Imperial bases in this system. Hunk, let’s start following this guy, see what he’s up to,” Lance said as he began to redirect the ship. 

They followed at a distance, watching the Galra vessel race toward something in the distance.

“It looks like he’s headed toward that small moon,” Shiro said, trying to make out the distant shape.

“That’s no moon... That’s a battle station,” Thace said as the station came into a clearer view. 

“There’s no way that’s a station,” Lance said, “Look at it! It’s way too big.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Shiro said as the Millennium Falcon continued to approach the station. 

“I gotta agree with Shiro on this one. Hunk, buddy, get us out of here,” Lance said.

“Uh, not gonna happen, guys. That thing has us trapped in its tractor beam,” Hunk added, after checking the controls several times.

* * *

Darth Mutter watched the spacecraft being dragged into the space station.

“The ship was first spotted near the former Alderaan. It matched the description of the ship that blasted its way off Tatooine. We believed the ship may have been bringing the Death Star plans to Alderaan, but the scanners do not detect any signs of life,” an officer reported to Darth Mutter as she examined the ship.

“I want it checked top to bottom for anyone who may be hiding in it,” Darth Mutter ordered. “I feel something... a presence I haven’t felt in a long time...”

* * *

Shiro held his breath as he heard footfalls overhead from their hiding spot below the floor. After it had been quiet for several ticks, Lance pushed up the floor panel they had hidden under.

“What good luck you would have these compartments!” Coran said as he boosted Pidge out of their hiding spot.

“I usually use them for smuggling, never thought I’d be smuggling myself though,” Lance responded with a chuckle. “This is ridiculous. We have no way out and even if we did, we’re not fast enough to escape that tractor beam.”

“I believe I have a plan,” Thace said.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Lance whined.

* * *

“Can I get a little help here?”

Two Galra were making their way up the loading ramp when they heard the call. They looked at each other with confusion before they rounded the corner and found themselves faced with Lance’s blaster. 

“Thanks for coming all the way up here, but I don’t think we’re going to need your help after all,” Lance smirked as he pulled the trigger.

A Galra in the overlooking computer station above the Falcon looked up once he realized the officers who had boarded still hadn’t returned from the ship. 

“Officers, do you copy? Why have you not returned to your posts?”

The two Galra emerged with their helmets on, covering their faces. Strange, most officers preferred to not wear the stifling helmets unless absolutely necessary, but it wasn’t completely unheard of... One of the officers waved up to signal he could hear the message before pointing to the mouthpiece. The helmets must have been malfunctioning. 

“I will be right down to fix the comlink,” The officer said. He then turned toward the door but as he opened it he was greeted by Hunk’s imposing figure in the doorway. 

“Hi. I would apologize for this, but I really don’t feel that bad about it,” Hunk said, before hitting the Galra over the head and knocking him to the floor. Behind him, Lance and Shiro made their way up to the control room, followed by Thace, Pidge, and Coran. 

“You know, between Hunk’s chatting and Lance blasting everything in sight, it’s a miracle the entire station doesn’t know we’re here,” Shiro said as he took off the Galra uniform helmet.

“Yeah, whatever. They want to come down here, I say let ‘em,” Lance muttered, removing his own helmet. 

“The computer station is over here,” Coran called out as Pidge began typing at the keyboard. 

“Alright, so it looks like the tractor beam is connected to the main reactor in seven locations. If we can disconnect it in one area, it should be enough for us to escape,” Pidge said as she scrolled through a schematic of the ship. Thace looked at the information over her shoulder.

“In this instance, I don’t believe our entire group will be much help. I’ll go on my own,” Thace said.

“Fine by me! I’ve already gone above and beyond on this little trip,” Lance said as he leaned back in one of the chairs. 

“I want to go with you,” Shiro said to Thace, a stubborn set to his jaw.

“You must stay to ensure Pidge and Coran finish their mission. It is the only thing that will save other planets from meeting the same fate that Alderaan came to. You are meant for bigger things, Shiro. But we will remain connected through the force,” Thace said as he checked his lightsaber before stepping into the hall. 

“Is it just me or is he a little-” Hunk spun his finger around the side of his head while looking at Lance. 

“Nah, you said it, buddy. Where did you guys even find him?” Lance asked. 

“Listen, Thace is a great man,” Shiro said, “I’m sure whatever he’s planned will work, we just have to wait for him here-”

“HOLY QUIZNAK! He’s here! I found him, he’s right here!” Pidge suddenly shot out of her seat as she pulled on Coran’s sleeve in excitement. 

“What is she talking about? Pidge, who’s here?” Shiro said in confusion.

“Why, it’s Prince Keith!” Coran shouted in excitement as he looked over the information Pidge had pulled up.

“The Prince is here?” Shiro asked. 

“Wait, wait, Prince? What’s going on here?” Lance said as he also crowded around the computer system. 

“Okay, he’s in level 5, detention block AA23, and- what? Scheduled for termination!” Pidge yelled.

“We’ve got to act quick,” Shiro responded, picking his helmet back up.

“What are you guys talking about?!” Hunk asked.

“He’s the one who sent Pidge and Coran on this mission! We’ve got to help him,” Shiro said with resolve.

“Look, the old guy said he wanted us to wait here, don’t you think we should do as he says, Mr. ‘He’s a Great Man’?” Lance said, grabbing Shiro’s arm to keep him from running into the hall.

“Thace didn’t know the Prince was here. We just have to find a way to get him out of his cell and then make it back here,” Shiro explained.

“No way, I’m not going anywhere,” Lance said, sitting back down at one of the command chairs.

“They’re going to execute him. Listen, you just said you didn’t want to sit and wait to be captured,” Shiro argued, frustrated with Lance’s nonchalance. 

“Yeah, well marching right into a Galra holding cell wasn’t what I had in mind,” Lance responded.

“But they’re going to kill him!” Coran yelled at Lance.

“Better him than me,” Lance yawned.

“You know he’s rich?” Pidge said slyly.

“Rich?” Hunk said turning toward Lance, “How rich do y’think we’re talking?”

“They said he was a prince, he’s gotta have a lot of wealth and power, and if we save him-” Lance said comparatively.

“He’ll have to repay us!” Hunk exclaimed. Shiro and Coran shared a look while Pidge just grinned, knowing they’d take the bait. 

“Fine, fine, so what’s the plan, Shiro?” Lance asked as everyone turned toward him. 

“Okay. Hunk, since we don’t have a uniform for you, we’ll pretend you're and we’re taking you the detention block the prince is in,” Hunk had a panicked look on his face, but Shiro quickly reassured him, “You won’t actually be locked in anything and we won’t take your weapons.”

“What should Pidge and I be doing, sir?” Coran asked.

“You guys stay here, keep an eye out for Thace and any sign that the Galra know what we’re doing,” Shiro directed them.

“And if we get discovered?” Pidge asked as Shiro, Hunk, and Lance prepared to leave.

“Lock the door!” Shiro said, before going into the hall.

“And hope they don’t have blasters!” Lance laughed as he followed Shiro out.

“Well that’s reassuring,” Coran grumbled to Pidge. 

* * *

Trying to remain casual, Lance and Shiro lead Hunk through the space station. Although Hunk drew the occasional odd glace, as soon as the Galra saw his shackles, they didn’t seem too interested in bothering the group. They made their way to an elevator that took them down to the detention area. As the doors opened to the dim, grey halls, they were approached by another Galra. 

“Where are you taking this... prisoner?” The Galra sneered at Hunk. Hunk gulped as Lance elbowed him, reminding him to play along.

“Prisoner transfer, they’re sending him down from one of the higher blocks,” Shiro lied smoothly.

“A prisoner transfer? I wasn’t notified. I’ll have to approve this,” The officer turned back to the station, but before she could reach the computer, Lance had slipped off Hunk’s cuffs.

“Look out, he’s loose!” Lance shouted, pretending to struggle as Hunk grabbed his blaster and took out the officer. “Shiro, get the Prince’s cell number and go grab him. Hunk and I will keep anyone else who comes along busy.”

After a quick look at the computer, Shiro made his way down one of the halls. Lance ran to the computer after Hunk took out the remaining Galra officer.

“Hunk, this thing won’t stop buzzing! What should I do?” Lance whispered frantically.

“Answer it! The guard might have been sending a message before we got down here and we don’t need more Galra coming to investigate,” Hunk said, dragging the unconscious officer to the side of the room.

“Okay, okay... uhhh,” Lance uttered looking over the computer before figuring out how to send a message. “Everything is under control! Situation normal.” Hunk slapped his hand against his face. They were so about to die.

“What happened?” a voice responded through the speakers.

“Uhh... We had a slight weapons malfunction, but everything’s perfectly alright now! We’re fine, we’re fine! Um... How are you?” Lance could hear the nervousness creeping into his voice the more he kept talking and knew it wasn’t helping them remain undetected. 

“We’re sending a squad up,” the voice responded after a minute.

“Oh, shi- Negative! We had a, uh, reactor leak in here. Give us time to lock it down! Very dangerous, very large leak!” Lance squeaked while Hunk frantically shook his head. 

“Who is this?! What’s your operating number?” The voice demanded. Lance stared at the computer for a second before shooting it with one of the Galra blasters, completely destroying the station.

“Whatever, that conversation was boring anyways. Shiro! We’re about to have company!” Lance yelled down the hall after Shiro as he and Hunk prepared for more Galra to arrive.

Shiro ran down the hall of the detention facility passing the cell doors until he saw the number he was looking for. Cell 22018. He shot at the door control panel with his blaster and was able to enter the cell, surrounded by smoke. As he entered the cell, the prince was lying on a cot and seemed confused to see Shiro. 

“Aren’t you a little short for a Galra?” He asked with a sly smile. 

“What? Oh right, the uniform,” Shiro said as he removed his helmet, realizing that the prince couldn’t see his face. “My name is Shiro Skywalker, I’m here to rescue you.”

“You’re what?” Keith sat up, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I’m here to rescue you. I found your friends, Pidge and Coran, and they took me to Thace and now we’re all here to get you,” Shiro said.

“Thace is here?” Keith shot up off the cot, “Where is he?”

“Come on!” Shiro said, grabbing Keith’s arm and running from the cell. 

* * *

“He’s here...” Darth Mutter said to Sendak as they received reports from an officer that something strange was happening in the block of cells containing the prince. “I can feel Thace’s presence.”

“If you’re right, he must not be allowed to escape,” Sendak growled as reports of Galra being gunned down in the detention block. 

“He does not plan to escape. I must find him,” Darth Mutter replied, sweeping out of the room to follow the presence she had not felt in so long. 

* * *

Lance and Hunk both tensed as they heard the sound of the elevator stopping at their level. 

“Hunk, get behind me!” Lance yelled, waving at Hunk as the elevator doors burst open, filling the room with Galra soldiers. Lance and Hunk opened fire on them, trying to find their targets through the smoke and flames. After a moment they paused and no fire was returned. 

“Well, I guess we’re not going out that way,” Hunk said as the elevator continued to burn.

“C’mon, let’s follow after Shiro and find him,” Lance said. They turned the corner only to see Shiro being tailed by a short, pissed off looking guy Lance could only assume was the prince. “We were just coming to get you! The elevator’s a bust, we can’t get out that way.”

“You blew up our only escape route?” The prince responded, glaring at Lance. 

“Well if you’d prefer I can show you back to your cell, your Highness!” Lance responded with a sneer. This prince had just been freed and Lance already hated him.

“Lance, stop that. I’m going to call Coran,” Shiro grabbed the communicator off his belt. “Coran? Are you there?” 

“Yes, sir!” Coran’s staticy voice responded. Lance and Hunk continued to fire as more Galra came down the corridor. 

“Coran, we’ve been cut off. We’re going to need another way out of the detention block,” Shiro said.

“It seems like everyone knows you’re here now, Shiro!” Coran said after a moment. “Pidge says access to information about your location is being restricted.”

Shiro pulled Keith into an alcove on one side of the hall while Lance and Hunk took the other side, picking off as many Galra as they could. 

“There’s no other way out,” Shiro yelled to Lance and Hunk over the sound of blasters firing. 

“We can’t hold them off forever! What’s next?” Lance responded.

“This has got to be the worst rescue ever. You guys didn’t plan a way out?” Keith yelled over the blasts flying past them. 

“He’s the brains, sweetcheeks!” Lance said, gesturing at Shiro, who just stammered in response to Keith’s glare turning on him. There was no way Lance was going to let some pint-sized prince give him crap for a rescue mission that he hadn’t wanted to go on in the first place. While Shiro continued to mutter, the prince grabbed his blaster and shot at a grate in the wall next to Lance.

“You almost hit me! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” 

“Saving our skins. Into the chute, flyboy,” Keith said as he quickly jumped into the hole he had created. Lance stared, his mouth open in amazement. 

“Uh, okay, so we’re going to climb into a small, dark, smelly hole because a tiny, angry prince tells us too? Cool, cool, cool,” Hunk muttered, staring at the dark void Keith had disappeared through. 

“Hunk, it’s looking like that our only way out, no matter how dark or smelly it is. Now go!” Lance said as he shoved Hunk through the opening. Shiro and Lance kept firing at the Galra to keep them as far away from the hole as they could. “Nice prince there, Shiro! I’m not sure if I want to kill him or if I’m starting to like him!”

Shiro rolled his eyes and climbed into the chute, pulling Lance with him. 

* * *

Keith had already started feeling the walls of the garbage chute as he heard the three others fall behind him. He started heading towards the noise of Hunk, Shiro, and Lance bickering.

“Oh, WOW a garbage chute! What a fan-fucking-tastic idea! Such a wonderful experience, with the smell and the garbage. Now let’s get out of here,” Lance whined as he aimed his blaster at a small hatch Shiro had been examining.

“Wait, don’t-” Shiro yelled as Lance fired, causing his blast to ricochet around the small space and everyone to duck for cover. Keith came out once the blast had dissipated. 

“Would you put that thing away? Or are you trying to kill us all?” Keith said. “I already tried that, it’s completely sealed, I think magnetically.”

“Absolutely, your worship! Listen, we had everything under control until you pulled us all down here. Plus, it won’t be long until the Galra figure out exactly where we’ve gone and come down here to finish the job,” Lance said to Keith. 

“You call what was happening up there having everything under control?” Keith responded, “Besides it could be worse...”

Suddenly, a loud screech echoed around the room. 

“Uh guys, please tell me that was one of you?” Hunk said as he backed against a wall. 

“I think there’s something alive in here,” Shiro said as he looked at the water surrounding him.

“It’s just your imagination,” Lance replied, aiming his blaster at the water.

“Something is definitely heading toward you!” Hunk yelled, pressing himself further to the wall as he tried to find his own blaster without taking his eyes off the movement in the water. 

“Hunk, calm down-” Shiro said calmly before suddenly his feet were pulled out from under him sending him into the garbage and water surrounding them.

“Holy Shit!” Lance yelled as he tried to run toward where Shiro had stood. Keith started looking around for anything, anything useful in all this garbage before he spotted a long pole and grabbed it. Keith looked back up and Shiro was suspended above the garbage by a tentacle around his throat. Shiro clawed at the tentacle around his neck to no avail.

“Shiro, grab this!” Keith yelled, extending the pipe out towards Shiro. Before he could reach it, he was pulled back under. 

“Lance, next time it comes up, shoot it!” Hunk yelled.

“Where?! As far as we know that thing’s just an arm!”

“Anywhere!” Keith responded.

As they frantically searched for where Shiro could have been dragged to, a loud metallic thunk echoed throughout the chamber.

“Is it just me, or did the walls just get closer?” Lance said in the resounding silence.

“Nope, not you! Definitely getter closer!” Hunk responded in a panicked voice. Keith looked to the right and saw Shiro resurfacing from the garbage. Keith and Lace both rushed over to help him up. 

“What happened? Where is that thing?” Keith asked while glancing around, trying to track any movement in the garbage. 

“I don’t know, it just suddenly let go,” Shiro responded as he caught his breath.

“I’ve got a very bad feeling about this...” Lance said nervously as he looked at the walls surrounding them. At that moment, the walls began to close in even faster than before.

“Find things to brace the walls with now! Go!” Keith yelled as he picked up the pole from before and wedged it between the walls. Lance and Hunk immediately began searching for anything strong enough to slow the walls. 

“Wait!” Shiro yelled, grabbing his communicator, “Coran, Coran, come in!” 

As Shiro tried to call Coran, Hunk threw himself against the wall and dug his heels in as much as he could. Lance and Keith tried to prop up any material they found, but as the walls steadily moved in the pieces of garbage kept splintering apart. Keith lost his footing and began to sink, the water rising around his legs.

“Get to the top of that pile!” Lance gritted out as he tried to wedge a beam against the wall.

“I can’t,” Keith said as he struggled to regain his footing. Keith looked up as he felt Lance reach down and grab Keith by the shoulder, hauling him up.

“Coran! Pidge! Come in, we need you, now!” Shiro continued to yell as Keith and Lance looked at each other, Lance still gripping Keith. 

* * *

Coran turned from where he and Pidge had successfully managed to knock out the four Galra who had stormed into the control center they were in. 

“We need to move somewhere else, they clearly know we’re in here, and with these guys not responding they’ll be sending more forces soon to see what happened,” Pidge said. “I saw in the schematics that there’s another control room down the hall from here with no one logged in. We should go there.”

“Right-o! But Shiro told us to wait here to reconvene, how will he find us again?” Coran said.

“Coran... the communicator?” Pidge said flatly as she headed toward the door.

“Of course! Where did I put that little bugger anyway?” Coran said, glancing around the room before spotting the buzzing communicator.

“Coran, please! We need you to turn off all the garbage compressors in the detention block! Pidge, Coran! Help!” Shiro’s voice rang out in the empty hall Coran and Pidge we’re walking down.

“Wait, did Shiro just say garbage compressor?! Oh my-” Pidge said as she and Coran shared a horrified look. They ran as fast as they could to a set of doors that Pidge quickly opened.

“Shiro! Shiro, we copy!” Coran yelled as Pidge ran to the computer and began frantically typing to shut down all waste-related systems. 

The com went silent before... screaming. The room filled with the shouts of the others as Coran fell to the floor. 

“Oh Pidge, what have I done?! They’re dying because of ME,” Coran sobbed. “It’s all my fault! If only I’d been faster-”

“Coran, we’re fine! We’re alright!” Shiro’s voice shouted through the communicator. “We just need you guys to unlock the magnetic hatch at unit... three-two-six-eight-two-seven.”

* * *

Lance pulled Keith into an embrace as they yelled at their success in not being crushed to death surrounded by Galra trash. Hunk swept both of them into a hug while Shiro pushed the hatch open. Lance and Keith quickly stepped back as if they hadn’t just had their arms around each other, refusing to make eye contact as Lance helped Shiro get out of the compactor as quickly as possible. 

As they all stumbled into an empty hall, Hunk turned as the tentacle that had grabbed Shiro tried to reach through the hatch. 

“It’s back! It’s back and it’s following us!” Hunk yelled, running as far from the hatch as he could. 

“Hunk, you big baby, would you cut it out?” Lance said as he took aim at the tentacle. 

“Wait, don’t!” Keith said as Lance fired, causing an echo of the blast to reverberate down the hall. Keith shoved Lance into the opposite wall. “Listen, I don’t know who you are or where the hell you came from, but from now on you do what I tell you, got it?”

“Look your Worship, I take orders from one person and one person only, and that’s me!” Lance yelled back as the prince crowded into his space.

“Whatever, I have no clue how you’re still alive when you’re this stupid,” Keith said as he started marching down the hall. Lance watched him storm off, his mouth open in shock.

“No reward is worth this!” Lance shouted and threw his arms up in defeat as he began to follow Keith. 

* * *

Thace had managed to evade any Galra on his way to the service trench that powered the tractor beam, although he knew that meant they had become aware of Shiro and the others. He entered the area with the controls and adjusted the board to disable one of the supporting beams. A large, red light slowly faded and once it had gone completely dark Thace left the room once again. 

* * *

Keith led the group through the halls until they came to a large window overlooking the docking bay that held the falcon. 

“There she is!” cried Lance as he pressed against the glass as though he could push through it by sheer force of will.

“Coran, do you copy?” Shiro said into the communicator.

“For the time being, yes! Pidge and I made our way to the main hangar across from the ship once some Galra had located us,” Coran responded. 

“Great, we’re right above you. We’ll meet you down at the ship in a tick,” Shiro said as he put the communicator away once again. Keith walked up behind Lance to look down at the ship. 

“You flew here in that thing? You’re braver than I thought,” Keith said with an unimpressed look on his face as Lance shot him a glare. 

“Okay, let’s get going! We don’t want to wait around too long, this place freaks me out even when there aren’t Galra actively trying to kill us,” Hunk said as Shiro began to lead the group down a hallway. 

As soon as they turned a corner, Shiro threw his arms out and stopped everyone in their tracks. At the same time, a group of 20 Galra coming down the hall on the other side stopped in surprise.

“That’s them! Blast them!” one of the Galra shouted. Before the Galra could fire a shot, Lance fired his blaster, taking out enough Galra for him to force his way past their blockade in the hallway with Hunk following him.

“Come on, we have to get back to the ship!” Lance called as he turned a corner. 

“Lance, wait!” Shiro called after him, but either Lance was already too far away or he ignored Shiro’s call. 

“He certainly has courage,” Keith said, quirking an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, but what good will it do us if he gets himself killed? We better follow him,” Shiro said as he began running after Lance and Hunk, shoving through the surprised remaining Galra. 

* * *

Thace had carefully made his way through the halls of the Death Star toward the hangar. As he turned down another hall, he saw the one Galra he knew he had come to confront. Darth Mutter drew her red lightsaber as Thace drew his own weapon. 

“I have been waiting for you, Thace. As soon as I felt your presence I knew it was time to complete what we started when I was your student. But now I am a master,” Darth Mutter said as she circled her old teacher.

“Only a master of evil, Mutter,” Thace said. He had become so tired, the memories of Darth Mutter and his life before Tatooine weighing him down. He had felt himself fading before Shiro came back to him and even more so now. Summoning the remainder of his strength, he threw himself at Darth Mutter. She blocked his blow, pushing him back and immediately began to advance toward him. Thace blocked her, but the power of her strikes forced him to back into the hangar. 

“You are weak, old man,” Mutter said as their sabers were locked together. 

“You can’t win, Mutter. If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine.”

* * *

Lance and Hunk stood with their backs against the wall leading into the hangar, peaking around the corner in an attempt to not be seen by the Galra monitoring the area. 

“How can there still be more of these guys?” Lance whispered to Hunk.

“I don’t know, but you better not drag me into any more fire for the rest of the day. I’m still hung up on that tentacle-thing that tried to pull us into the garbage,” Hunk whispered back. Shiro and Keith came down the hall, joining them at the entrance to the hangar. 

“Took you guys long enough,” Lance whispered to them. 

“Maybe if you hadn’t run through those Galra like an idiot and left us behind you wouldn’t have had to wait for us,” Keith snapped back. 

“Calm down you two. Is the ship okay?” Shiro asked while Keith and Lance continued to glare at each other. 

“It seems okay, but we still have to get to it and hope Thace took out that tractor beam,” Hunk responded. 

“Wait... look!” Shiro said as Thace and Darth Mutter entered the hangar exchanging blows. “We need Coran and Pidge to get down here now.”

* * *

Coran answered his communicator when Shiro called to tell them to get down to the docking bay as soon as possible. Pidge was mostly just relieved since the protocol specialist had done nothing but anxiously rant since the group had last contacted them. Pidge and Coran carefully made their way down to the ship, avoiding the few Galra they came across. 

“They certainly seemed to be in a hurry after leaving us behind this whole time!” Coran exclaimed as the two pulled themselves out of an alcove they’d hidden in. 

“Hopefully we won’t be sticking around long enough to find out what has them so excited,” Pidge replied. 

Pidge and Coran found the rest of the group as the fight unfolded before them. While Darth Mutter continued to advance on Thace, the Galra within the docking bay rushed towards the battle. 

“Now’s our chance! Go!” Lance said as he grabbed Keith’s arm and led the group towards the ship. 

* * *

Thace looked up as he heard the sound of Galra coming towards him and saw the group getting onto the Falcon. Shiro froze as his eyes met Thace’s. While still looking at Shiro, Thace lowered his saber. Darth Mutter brought her lightsaber down, striking Thace through the middle as Shiro screamed out, but Thace’s body never hit the ground. His robes lay empty at Darth Mutter’s feet as the Galra who had been charging moments before came to a confused halt. They turned and began to fire at the Falcon after hearing Shiro cry out, Lance returning fire.

“Shiro, come on!” Lance shouted as he picked off the approaching Galra. 

“We have to leave now, Shiro! It’s too late,” Keith said as he pulled Shiro further up the ramp. Shiro shrugged Keith off and began reaching for his blaster but stopped as he heard Thace’s voice.

“You must go, Shiro,” Thace whispered, his voice surrounding Shiro. It felt as though a rush of cool water ran over him, clearing his mind from the distress and anger of watching Thace fall. Shiro quickly followed Keith and Lance onto the Falcon with the rest of the group, the confusion that fell over him leaving him no other choice. 

Lance raced over to the cockpit where Hunk was already preparing for take-off, the sounds of Galra fire reverberating around them. 

“I hope that old man got that tractor beam out of commission or this is going to be a really short trip. Hit it, Hunk!” Lance said as Hunk nodded in agreement and pushed the thrusters forward. 

The ship lurched forward into the darkness of space.

* * *

Shiro sat in the main area with Pidge and Coran, although he barely noticed they were there. He couldn’t believe Thace was gone. Shiro still had so much to learn, so many questions still unanswered that he had believed Thace was the key to. Shiro jerked out of his thoughts as Keith wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. Shiro nodded in acknowledgment and the two sat together surrounded only by the hum of the engines. 

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Shiro said quietly. 

“We did everything we could. If we’d waited any longer we would still be trapped there,” Keith replied, clearly trying to comfort Shiro, but seeming unsure of how to go forward. In the span of only a few days, Shiro had lost his aunt, uncle, his new mentor. Now, he sat on a ship surrounded by strangers trying to soothe each other however they could in the wake of continuous loss. 

“Look alive, Shiro! Looks like we’re not out of this yet,” Lance said, bursting into the room and pulling Shiro towards the gunport. 

* * *

Lance sat back down at the controls as Keith and Pidge followed him to the cockpit. Coran had insisted he was far too anxious to join the others after the whirlwind events of the day.

“Shiro, are you all set up? You told us you could shoot, so let’s see it. We need you sharp!” Lance said into his headset as Hunk checked the readout from the target screen. 

“Lance, they’re coming up on us,” Hunk said as the four tie fighters that had followed them circled the ship from all sides. 

“Then we better hope Shiro’s ready to go,” Lance gritted as the ship began to take fire. 

“I’m ready, but they’re coming in too fast!” Shiro said as he fired shots at the ships that had begun advancing on the falcon. As the falcon continued to be hit, Keith leaned as fard over Lance’s shoulder as he could to read the computer display. 

“We’ve lost lateral controls.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll hold,” Lance snapped back at him, releasing more fire until one shot found the target, taking out the first ship. “Yes!”

“I got one!” Shiro cried out as he landed a shot. 

“Great job, buddy. Just two left,” Lance said as he took aim. The two other ships continued to fire at the falcon as they circled the ship. Shiro picked off one as it flew directly into range while Lance carefully followed the last one before destroying it with a spectacular final explosion. 

“We did it!” Shiro yelled as Lance whooped.

“We did it!” Keith cried, hugging Hunk from behind as he set the Millenium Falcon back on course. 

* * *

Darth Mutter entered the control room. 

“Have they escaped?” Sendak asked as the depths of space spread before him on the display screen.

“They have just jumped into hyperspace,” Darth Mutter responded, joining him before the expanse.

“And you’re certain the tracking device was properly attached? I want no further mistakes today, Darth Mutter.”

“Of course, Sendak.”

* * *

Lance leaned back in his seat, stretching while Hunk went with Pidge to make sure the ship hadn’t taken on too much damage. 

“Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh? You know, sometimes I even amaze myself,” he said to Keith with a cocky smirk. 

“Sure, except for the fact they’re obviously tracking us. Why else would they let us go so easily?” Keith huffed back. 

“Easily? You call this easy?!”

“Yes! Only sending 4 tie fighters after a ship that holds the plans for that weapon and a rebel leader? They must have planted a tracker,” Keith said.

“Wait, what do you mean “plans”? You have the plans for that thing?” Lance asked, leaning forward with interest. 

“Technically, Pidge does, but yes. Hopefully, we’ll have an opportunity to look them over once we reach the rebel base and find a weakness,” 

“ _WE’ll_ look it over? Look, I’m not here because of the revolution and I’m not here for you, your highness,” Lance said as he leaned back once again, resting his arms behind his head. “I was promised payment and as soon as I get that money I’m out of here!”

“There’s no need to worry about that. If money is what it takes to get you out of my sight then you’ll be paid as soon as possible,” Keith said with a huff as he stomped out of the cockpit and ran into Shiro. “Your friend is quite the mercenary. I wonder if he really cares about anything... Or anyone.” Keith shot one last scowl at Lance before walking away to track down Pidge.

“Wha- I care!” Shiro yelled after Keith. Shiro continued into the cockpit and sat next to Lance who was looking over the controls and fiddling with the displays. “What do you think of him, Lance?”

“What, the pint-sized prince? I’m trying not to think about him, Shiro.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I guess he’s got a lot of spirit. I don’t know, what do you think? A prince and a guy like me...” Lance trailed off, his eyes losing focus for a brief moment.

“... No,” Shiro said giving Lance an unimpressed look. Lance went back to looking at the monitors, shooting Shiro a sly smile at his jealous reaction. Lance could already tell there was a connection between Shiro and Keith, but he also knew he was quickly becoming addicted to the feeling of getting under the prince’s skin and the fire that would fill his eyes. But between a mercenary with only a transport ship and a handful of warrants to his name and a guy like Shiro, clearly made for bigger and better things... Lance knew where things were headed and he didn’t want to stick around to watch it all play out. 

* * *

Soon, Hunk and Lance had the ship touching down on Yavin. The coordinates Keith had given directed them to land in a thick forest that had overrun the crumbling stone monuments once built there. The Castle of Lions rose above the treeline, but it’s cloaking abilities made it undetectable to the Galra searching for it. 

As soon as they touched down, the rebels ran out of the castle to greet them before they had even gotten off the ship’s ramp. Allura pushed through the crowd and threw herself toward Keith, wrapping her arms around him.

“When I heard you had been captured by the Galra, I feared I would never see you again,” Allura cried out, crushing Kieth to her. “You can’t imagine how afraid I was; first, hearing you were captured and then learning no one knew where Pidge and Coran had gone.” 

“I’m so sorry, Allura. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I knew I had to bring you the Death Star plans no matter what,” Keith said, finally separating himself from the princess’ arms. Allura waved his excuse away, before bowing her head and folding her left hand over her heart.

“We heard about Alderaan. I’m so sorry, Keith. Your parents...” Allura trailed off, tears welling in her eyes. Keith looked away. He knew his parents had been on Alderaan, wanting to lead a rebel group there instead of joining those on the Castle so they could continue to add recruits and discreetly help citizens escape the Galra. That’s how Keith had found Pidge, a determined run-away from a school on a nearby planet. After being sent to school by her parents, rebels who wanted to keep their youngest child away from the fighting, Pidge had become determined to reunite with them. Keith’s parents had sent Pidge with him in the hopes that Pidge and her parents would meet at the Castle of Lions. However, Keith’s parents had been intent on staying on Alderaan, not wanting to leave their home until the last possible moment. Keith had hurried to give his mother and father each a kiss on the cheek, too excited for his next adventure to bear his mother’s tearful goodbye or his father’s crushing hugs. 

“Allura... Thank you, but I can't... I can't do this right now The Galra have certainly been tracking us and can't be far behind,” Keith said, looking pointedly away and forcing himself not to choke on his words at the mention of the loss of his home. It felt as though he was forced to watch Alderaan’s destruction every time he shut his eyes. Keith had to ensure no one else felt the same horror at the hand of the Galra. “It’s the only explanation for why the Galra let us get away. We need to analyze the Death Star plans and form an attack as soon as possible.” 

* * *

After hurried introductions and a tearful reunion between Allura and Coran, the rebels had gathered in a room inside the castle with the Death Star plans projected so everyone could examine them. 

“The Death Star is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than even the Castle. The defenses are designed against a large scale assault. However, a small, one-man fighter would be able to penetrate the outer defense,” Allura explained. 

“Excuse me, Princess, but what good will our pilots be against a battle station of that scale?” The gold team leader, Iverson, asked. 

“The Galra don’t see small ships as a threat, or they’d have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans by Prince Keith has found a weakness in the Death Star that our pilots may be able to exploit,” Allura said as she enlarged part of the projected plans. “This will by no measure be easy. A pilot must be able to maneuver straight down this trench until they are able to hit the target, which is two meters wide. This is a small thermal exhaust port, but it’s right above the main port which leads to the reactor system. A precise hit, even as small as a blast from our x-wings, will be able to trigger a chain reaction that would destroy the Death Star from the inside.”

The room began to fill with murmurs of disbelief. The pilot next to Shiro made a noise of disbelief.

“What you’re asking is impossible. Even if it was a computer, no one can make that shot,” James Griffin, a rebel pilot, said with a smug grin. 

“It’s not impossible,” Shiro said, backing up the princess. “I used to bullseye womp rats in my t-16 back home, and they’re smaller than two meters.” 

“Why are we trying to take this thing down? Why not just move the castle and set up shop on a different planet?” Nadia Rizavi, one of the more green pilots asked.

“We could leave now. We researched before we landed on Yavin and there are no large populations of humanoids. Most of the planet has been taken over by jungle with some interesting plants and animal species. It would not be considered a great loss to leave and allow the Galra to destroy the planet. However, who will the Galra go after next while we search for a secure base? How many planets must we watch get destroyed?” Allura looked around the room, eyeing the brave rebels before her, people who had left everything they knew to defend what they believed to be right and to fight the Galra. “We will not allow the Death Star to continue its path of destruction. Everyone, to your stations. And may the force be with you,” Allura dismissed as the rebels rushed to prepare for the coming fight.

* * *

From the observation deck of the Death Star, Darth Mutter stared down at the surface of Yavin. Tracking the foolish prince had led her to the desired outcome: the location of the Castle of Lions.

“This will be remembered as a great day. Thace has met his end and soon the rebellion will as well,” Darth Mutter said to Sendak. 

* * *

Shiro, Coran, and Pidge followed the mass of people entering the hangar filled with a variety of ships. The rebels hurried around them, preparing for the attack. As they continued walking, they came upon Hunk and Lance quickly loading crates onto an armored speeder. Lance seemed determined to ignore the preparations around him, even as announcements continued to ring out over the speakers.

“I take it you got your reward. You’re really just going to leave?” Shiro said. He didn’t want Lance to hear his disappointment, but judging by the way he stiffened, Shiro assumed he must have let his emotions seep into his voice. 

“Yeah, Shiro, that’s right. I’ve got some debts I need to take care of. And even if I didn’t, I’m not a big enough idiot to stick around here.” Lance huffed while Hunk gave him a disappointed look. “You should come with us, buddy. All of you; Pidge, Coran. I would even say Keith, but I know the little prince would never leave. But you all did your part for that escape, showed you’ve really got what it takes to keep up with us. Hunk and I could use you guys.” 

“You know we can’t do that. Pidge wants to be with her family, Coran is devoted to Allura, and you saw what’s coming... What they’re up against. They need a team like you two and you’re turning your back on them.” 

“What good’s a reward if you’re not around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station isn’t my idea of courage; it’s suicide.” 

“Lance-”

“Let him go, Shiro,” Pidge’s voice cut Shiro off, filled with anger as she glared at the smuggler. “He wants to go, don’t try to force him to stay.” Pidge stormed off with Coran quickly following her. Shiro turned to walk away.

“Hey, Shiro... May the force be with you,” Lance called out. Shiro turned and saw Lance wink at him while Hunk sadly waved goodbye. Shiro smiled and gave the two pilots a small wave. As Shiro walked away he heard the sound of Hunk slapping Lance on the back of the head. 

“Ow! What was that for?!”

* * *

Keith and Allura were going through some final details of the plan as Shiro approached, a worried look on his face.

“Is everything alright?” Keith asked, knowing that after everything they had been through, were still going through, there was no way Shiro was okay. 

“It’s Lance and Hunk. I don’t know, I guess I thought they would change their minds...”

“We can’t make people’s decisions for them, no matter how much it may hurt us. They have to follow their own path,” Allura said, kindly laying a hand on Shiro’s arm. Keith, however, was scowling. 

“Yeah, Shiro, he wants to leave, so we might as well forget about him. I’m sure he’ll forget us the minute he’s off-planet,” Keith huffed and stormed away. 

“Well, he’s certainly upset. Or more upset than usual,” Allura said, an interesting look crossing her face. 

“It seems like he’s always upset when it comes to Lance, but I really thought he’d care more that they were leaving,” Shiro responded.

“People often have very different ways of expressing themselves than you might expect. I’m sure he’s simply focusing all his energy into the plan right now. Excuse me, Shiro, I really must finish strategizing.” Shiro nodded as Allura walked after Keith when suddenly an arm clapped him on the shoulder.

“Shiro?! I can’t believe it! How’d you get here? Are you going on the mission?” Shiro found himself being swept into a hug by a familiar pair of arms.

“Matt! Of course, I’ll be up there with you! I have so much to tell you,” Shiro’s grin split his face at the sight of his old friend. But now that Shiro was looking at Matt again he really did look like Pidge... “I also have to ask you something-”

“I want to hear all about it, buddy, but right now we’ve got to get going. Tell me everything when we get back?” Matt was already running towards his ship as he waved goodbye to Shiro.

“Sure thing, Matt,” Shiro said as he began to head towards his own ship where Pidge and Coran were standing arguing in hushed tones.

“What are you two up to?” Shiro asked as he began to climb the ladder into the black lion, the sleek ship Allura had told him to fly. 

“Ah, Shiro! Finally, someone who can talk sense into Pidge,” Coran said. “Pidge believes she should pilot a craft during the battle! I have been trying to convince her that she is most needed here for her engineering skills and other forms of assistance. Clearly the stress of the early events has caused her to become delusional.” 

“I’m more help out there! The more ships go out, the better the chance that one of them makes it into that trench and hits the target.” Pidge argued back. Shiro stared at the two of them. 

“You can pilot?” Shiro asked as he put his helmet on. 

“I can! Or at least I know the logistics of it, I just have a little less experience than other-”

“She’s never flown on her own!” Coran interrupted. “She could be blown to bits in the first minute! Splattered into green goo before she can even see the Death Star!” 

“Pidge, if you’re sure you can do it then I’m not going to stop you,” Shiro said while he began to check the x-wing’s controls. “The Green Lion is right over there and I promise I’ll have your back.” 

“Shiro?! You would betray me too?” Coran cried dramatically clutching his hand to his heart. 

“Coran, I can do it! Just trust me,” Pidge said staring into Coran’s eyes with determination. A silence seemed to hang between the two, even inside the bustling hangar. 

“I understand if you really must go out there...” Coran said sadly. “However, you must promise me you’ll return.” 

“Of course I will, Coran. I can’t let your life get too boring,” Pidge said with a small smile before going to the Green Lion to prepare. 

“You had better make sure she comes back,” Coran said icily to Shiro before walking toward the command area.

Shiro gave Coran a quick salute as he finished his preparations. The hangar buzzed with the rush of activity as the preparations were almost complete, the announcements from the overhead speaker commanding everyone to get into position. The ships began to close their cockpits and disconnect from the fuel lines. Shiro settled into his seat, the familiarity of being in the pilot seat soothed any remaining anxiety and he smiled to himself once again as he checked over the controls.

* * *

Allura sat in the war room with Coran, watching as the ships began to leave the hangar. 

“Where’s Keith?” Allura asked looking around the room, “he was supposed to come here immediately after a discussion with Iverson.” Allura knew how badly Keith wanted to be on the mission, but she had demanded he stay with her to oversee the plan. After nearly losing him to Darth Mutter and then hearing about the chaotic escape, she had wanted her friend by her side for his counsel as much as her own sanity.

Suddenly, one of the rebels manning the communications centers for the pilots turned to Allura. 

“Princess, the Red Lion is departing from the hangar.”

“What? That’s impossible, Keith is supposed to-” Allura met Coran’s eyes, realizing that she shouldn’t have let Keith go to the hangar without her. “That horrible sneak! Is there any way to ground that ship?”

“Negative. The Red Lion is already approaching the Death Star,” The rebel reported. 

* * *

The Death Star loomed ahead of Keith before he had even begun to approach it. The massive base blocked the light from the nearby star, swallowing the x-wings in its shadow. Keith caught up to the other pilots as they began to get in formation. 

“General, Red Lion here,” Keith reported. 

“Red Lion? I was told you were staying back at the base with command.”

“Change of plans,” Keith said as he fell into position with the rest of the fleet. 

“Sure, kid. As long as I don’t have to deal with Allura after this,” the general said as he began to call out to each of the pilots. Keith was shocked to hear Pidge’s voice answer when the Green Lion was called, but considering Keith wasn’t supposed to be out here either, he held his tongue. “Alright everyone, we’re about to move through their magnetic field.”

Keith adjusted a few of the controls as the Red Lion shook slightly. 

“Stay tight,” the general commanded as all the ships made it through the magnetic field and began to approach the Death Star. 

“Look at the size of that thing!” Matt said in awe as more details showed the scale of the battle station. 

“Cut the commentary,” The general snapped. “We’re closing in on the target. Accelerate to attack speed. Gold Team, start heading for the trench.” 

As Keith remained with the Red Team, he watched Shiro’s ship begin to approach the surface of the Death Star. 

“Alright, Red Team, get ready to draw fire away from the Gold Team.”

* * *

As soon as the Gold Team began to near the Death Star they were forced to leave formation to avoid being hit by fire. The large beams had been easy to avoid, but as tie fighters began to emerge from the ship, it became more difficult for Shiro to get to the trench. 

“Gold Team, sound off when you have an opening. Stay on the defensive for now,” the general said. “Keep an eye on your tail, you’re already picking ‘em up!”

“I can’t shake him... he’s too tight, I can’t shake him!” Matt said, panic creeping into his voice as he quickly jerked his ship into a tight spin before falling back toward the surface of the station, the tie fighter trailing him through every maneuver. 

“Hold on, Matt, I’m coming in,” Shiro said as he quickly dove after the tie fighter, the free fall sending his stomach into his chest. As he leveled out, Shiro lined up a shot toward the ship and pulled the trigger. “Got him!” 

* * *

Allura stood in front of the readout screen with the remaining members of the rebellion, listening as the pilots called out to each other. As the voices became more and more harried, crying out for help, her hands tightened their grip on the skirt of her dress. Coran stood at her shoulder, listening as several of the pilots were taken down by Galra. 

“Shiro, watch your back!” called one of the pilots followed by the sound of Shiro grunting.

“I’m hit, but it’s not too bad,” grunted Shiro. The room fell silent.

“You’re not out yet, Shiro. Still got one on your tail,” called Matt, his voice surrounded by the sound of the heavy fire being exchanged.

“Thanks, Matt,” Shiro replied after several rounds of fire during which the display confirmed Matt took down the Galra that had been trailing Shiro. 

“Red Leader, this is Gold Leader. We’re starting our attack run.”

* * *

Keith dove down into the madness with the rest of the Gold Team, picking off all the Galra they could while ensuring the Red Team was clear to pursue the target. He was immediately surrounded by commands, voices calling out to each other in panic or in celebration depending on if a shot met its target. Pidge remained near Keith’s side, working in tandem to defend each other while taking down any Galra in range. 

“Keith, Shiro is being tailed in the trench!” 

At Pidge’s call, Keith began searching for Shiro. The Black Lion was in the trench, just as Pidge had said, a trail of smoke billowing from where Shiro had previously been hit. 

“Pidge, we need to get down there quick. Those aren’t just Galra, that ship following him is Darth Mutter.” Keith then went to call Shiro, “Shiro, can you hear me? Are you okay?”

“Keith?” Shiro replied. “I’m heading towards the target.” 

“Shiro, why is your targeting computer offline?” Pidge called. 

“Trust me, it’s okay.” 

Keith and Pidge attempt to aid Shiro, but they were too far to pick off Darth Mutter or the other Galra closing in on Shiro. Suddenly, one of the ships flanking Darth Mutter was struck. 

“What the-” Keith was baffled, none of the rebel pilots had been close enough to Shiro to land that shot. 

“Where did that come from?” Pidge asked, frantically looking around as another shot suddenly struck Darth Mutter’s ship sending it spiraling out of control and away from the Death Star. 

“Miss me?” 

Keith immediately recognized Lance’s voice as the Millennium Falcon entered his view. 

“Lance!” Shiro called in greeting. “I knew you’d be back!”

“Excuse me, Hunk is also back! And it was also his idea to come back in the first place!” Hunk replied indignantly. 

“Yeah, yeah, let’s save the arguments for later. Shiro, you’re all clear. Let’s blow this thing up and go home!” Lance replied with a huff. Keith was still in shock as he continued to fire at any remaining Galra.

Shiro quickly approached the exhaust port and fired twice. His shots found their mark and the pilots began to cry out in joy as they fled the collapsing Death Star. 

* * *

“Shiro, that shot was amazing,” Pidge called out as the space station collapsed behind them. 

“Yeah, man. Really one in a million,” Hunk responded. 

“Thanks, guys,”

As the other pilots continued to rehash what they had seen, Shiro felt Thace’s presence blanket him. 

“You did well, Shiro.” Shiro gasped at hearing the voice of his late master so clearly in his ear. Then, he slowly shut his eyes and relaxed, embracing the energy flowing through him as all other noise seemed to fade away. “Remember, the Force will be with you... always.” 

When Shiro opened his eyes once again, he was still surrounded by the calls of the rebel pilots. They had arrived back at Yavin quickly and the remaining pilots were already jumping out of their ships to be greeted by their friends and family. Shiro stepped out of his ship, but before he could search for his friends he felt someone tackle him into a hug. 

“Shiro! Oh, Shiro, you were marvelous!” Allura said as she released Shiro from her strong grip. 

“Allura, let him breathe!” Matt called out with a laugh as he ran over to hug Shiro as well. It seemed as though everyone was trying to congratulate Shiro with a pat on the back or a hug. As soon as Shiro ducked away from the forming crowd, he saw Lance and Hunk sweeping Pidge into a hug while she laughed (and shed a few tears, not that she would ever admit it or that Shiro would dare bring it up). Shiro ran over and was quickly swept into his friend’s arms.

“I knew you’d come back,” Shiro huffed, pulling Lance into his side and tousling his hair. 

“Well, I wasn’t going to let you get all the credit and take the reward,” Lance teased as he shoved Shiro in the chest. 

“So I guess there really is more to you than money.” Lance and Shiro jumped as Keith smirked from behind them. 

“Keith!” they both exclaimed. Shiro quickly pulled the prince into a hug, holding him as Keith laughed. 

* * *

Lance stood back while Keith and Shiro embraced. 

“You were incredible,” Shiro said.

“You weren’t so bad yourself,” Keith chuckled as Shiro blushed, his face heating up at the teasing. Keith then turned to Lance.

“Looks like I really owe you, Solo,” Keith smirked as Lance rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the ground. 

“Yeah, I guess you do,” Lance looked up and met Keith’s eyes, holding his gaze.

“You guys have got to stop with this who-owes-who! Let’s all just hug and be glad we survived this bullshit,” Hunk said as he pulled Lance and Keith into a hug, the two other boys laughing. Soon, Pidge had joined in saying she felt left out while pulling Shiro in as well. 

“You all nearly killed me!” The group looked up as a very angry Coran stormed towards them. “And after leaving me here to fret over you, you all reunite without me?! If it wasn’t for me you never would have met and you would have no one to reunite with!” 

Pidge rolled her eyes as Coran continued his rant.

“Do you want to be in the group hug or not?” Coran blinked at her question. He remained standing away from them with his arms crossed for several moments before throwing himself at the group, everyone laughing at his theatrics. 

* * *

The rebels had gathered in one of the old temples on Yavin. The stone walls stretched above their head, vines crawling up toward the holes in the roof where the setting sun peeked through. The murmurs of the rebels filled the room until Allura stepped forward to address the gathered ranks, Keith and Coran standing behind her in support. 

“We are here today to celebrate our success,” Allura spoke, looking into the crowd of tired, beaten troops. “And to celebrate those who did not return with us today. To celebrate Alderan, a strong ally to the rebellion. A planet full of people who longed for freedom from the Empire, as we do. We have much to do going forward. Soon we will have to leave Yavin and set out for a new base. We know the Empire will retaliate, but tonight we celebrate. First, we must congratulate our pilots for going out to accomplish the impossible and succeeding. Shiro and Pidge, please come forward.” Shiro and Pidge approached Allura, bowing their heads. “You lead us fearlessly on this mission. We can never thank you enough for your bravery.

We must also thank our unexpected allies. Lance, Hunk, if you wouldn’t mind.” Hunk and Lance walked to the stone stage. “When presented with the opportunity to leave, you instead chose to stay and fight. You are a reminder that there are still those who wish to help, even when it is incredibly hard to do so.” Lance raised his eyes as Allura spoke, meeting Keith’s gaze behind her. 

“Finally, I must thank all of you. It is no miracle that we are here today, it is because of you. So now, let us celebrate.” A cheer erupted from the crowd as Allura finished her speech. Shiro smiled at the party unfolding around him. Keith slowly smiled at Lance, a crooked half-smile that seemed to light up his eyes, before being swept into the crowd of rebels. A new hope sang through the air.

**Author's Note:**

> Did I look up the script of "A New Hope" to write this? Yes, yes I did. I realize the blend of Star Wars things and Voltron things isn't perfect (for example, I just could not find a way to fit the Blue Lion and Yellow Lion in oops) and I ended up cutting a lot of action scenes but I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope the character breakdown is clear (Shiro = Luke, Keith = Leia, Lance = Han, Hunk = Chewie, Pidge = r2d2, Coran = C3PO, Allura = Mon Mothma). 
> 
> Also here are some other quick explanations for things (if I keep writing these, I'll get into more detail about this stuff but I figured I'd just share what I was thinking while writing):  
> \- If Keith and Shiro are brothers, why does Shiro not remember Keith since he's older? Obi-Wan was a master of mind tricks, so I assumed Thace would be the same. Even if Shiro is older, he'd still be a child and be open to mental manipulation. He likely would have wiped Shiro's memory to protect him in the same way they split Luke and Leia.  
> \- Why does Krolia/"Darth Mutter" not remember her children that she gave birth to? I'm gonna blame the Sith. Zarkon told Krolia her children died to manipulate her and, eventually, her memory had been so warped and twisted she couldn't remember much about her children and wouldn't recognize them now.  
> \- Why do Pidge and Matt not reunite in this fic considering they're both in the same place at the same time? I forgot and then I basically had the fic finished and was like "oh shit they definitely would have seen each other." So my answer is in the chaos of the attack on the Death Star Matt and Pidge didn't reunite. But like... right after that during the celebration it happened.  
> \- Is this a Keith/Shiro fic? Nope, in the same way that A New Hope wasn't a Luke/Leia movie. Shiro and Keith will be revealed as brothers, but throughout this fic they are not aware. I wrote this with the intention of it being Keith/Lance and I would love to incorporate Adam or Curtis into any other fics I write in this universe. I guess if you're into the Luke/Leia dynamic then you might be into Keith/Shiro, but I'm not writing it that way.  
> \- Are Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru Galra since they're related to Krolia? No, they're human, like they are in the movies. Since we don't know anything about Shiro's family on the show, I kept Owen and Beru in. I figured they're related to Krolia through marriage, just like how Owen was Anakin's stepbrother.
> 
> Anyway, if you got to this point I hope you enjoyed this even a little bit! I had fun writing it.


End file.
